Half A Breath
by Violet Emeralds
Summary: *ONESHOT* A tale of how everything can go upside down in the matter of a few moments. (Ash and Misty pairing)


Note:  You may with to download "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans for this fic.

Half A Breath 

~*~

Ash paced nervously back and forth on the living room carpet of his apartment.  The soft blue fabric was wearing down by the second, the constant repetition of his feet weighing down in the same spots.  Only one thought raced through the twenty-year old's mind-  
  
_'How do I ask her?'_

He stopped for a few seconds, just long enough to reach into his pocket and pull out a dark velvet box.  Flipping the lid, he examined the exquisite ring it held.  It shimmered in the spring sunlight entering from the wall-length window to his right, each golden sparkle reflecting into his warm chocolate eyes.  The blue tinted diamond in the center glimmered with the utmost radiance.  Upon seeing the beautiful gem, his mind instinctively thought of _her_.    
  
His facial expression softened, as it did anytime he thought of anything to do with her.  Her hair; the colour of the falling autumn leaves, her eyes; that of the calm ocean reflecting the silver moon on a cloudless night, and her lips; the most luscious of cherry pinks on any human being.    
  
Ash shook his head violently, trying his best at the impossible task of ridding his head from all thoughts of her.    
  
_'You're supposed to be thinking about how to ask her, not just *of* her!'_

He hunched his shoulders in defeat and slumped down on the nearby couch.  He sighed and laid his head back.  Upon doing so, he spotted a picture on a shelf on the wall in front of him.  It was taken a while ago, he estimated he was only about 14 or 15.  In the picture was himself, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu.  
  
His mood dampened from the thought of his little friend.  He sighed, and tried to remember all of the good times spent together, instead of focusing on the bad.  
  
_'The worst thing you could ever have to do in your life is to bury one of your Pokemon.'_

He continued looking at the picture, this time focusing on Misty.  The couple hadn't even started going out until at least three years after it was taken, but you could still see the love they had for each other shining in their eyes.  
  
'_Which brings me back again to the current subject.'_

He was just about to get up and begin pacing again, racking his brain once more for a unique way to give the girl of his dreams this engagement ring, when the phone rang.  He raced over to it quickly, already suspecting who was on the other line.  
  
"Hello?" he answered.  
  
"Hi honey!" a happy voice on the other line replied.

Ash smiled, silently praising himself for having the correct assumptions about who was phoning.  "Where are you now, Mist?" he asked.

"I'm just driving up Josling's St. now, I should be home in about ten minutes."  
  
"Okay.  How was your trip?  Did you have a good time?"  
  
"Yeah, it was great!  Just wait until you see this great little outfit I got at one of the malls we went to!"  
  
"I'm sure I'll love it, only since its you who's going to be wearing it."  
  
"Okay now, that's enough Mr. Sweet Talker.  I've always wondered where you developed such a romantic form of speech."  
  
"My dear lady, I've had it all along, I've just never had good reason to put it use before the beginnings of our courtship," he replied in an old British accent, appearing more into character.  
  
"Listen, I have to go now.  I'll see you soon.  Love you!"  
  
"Love you too."  
  
The phone clicked and both ends were disconnected.  
  
For the past weekend, Misty had decided to have a little family outing.  She'd stayed in Cerulean with her sisters since Friday evening, and now, Sunday night, she was finally coming back.  Ash had missed her incredibly while she was gone – it was the longest they'd been separated since they'd started dating.  
  
He ran a hand through his still spiky black hair and took a seat at the kitchen table, impatiently awaiting the time that his beloved counterpart would enter the door.

~*~

Misty smiled, drumming her fingers on the cushiony steering wheel in her car.  She had her gaze fixed on the road in front of her, but her mind was completely somewhere else.    
  
_'I just can't wait to tell him.'_

She paused for a moment, waiting for a streetlight to change colour, willing it to go faster.  The excitement building up inside of her from this piece of news was almost unbearable.  It was just like being a little girl on Christmas Eve.

Soon enough, Misty found herself at the parking lot to the apartment building she lived in with her boyfriend.  Her and Ash had been living in this same apartment for almost a year now, one of the happiest years in Misty's life.  
  
Impatiently awaiting the elevator inside the ground floor of the building, Misty couldn't help but think that the stairs would be faster at this point in time, despite the fact that she lived on the tenth floor.  Once the door opened, she rushed inside and pushed the button corresponding with her floor number in one fluid motion, earning a weary glance from some other people getting off of the elevator.

_'I can't wait to see you, Ash!'_

Even though it had only been a weekend in length, Misty had missed Ash incredibly.  Well, considering that all during their youths, they went everywhere together, and now, once they were going out, they lived in the same apartment, it was to be expected.

She reached her door and opened it rather loudly.  She saw him sitting at the kitchen table and practically leaped on him.  
  
"Ash!!  I missed you!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly around the neck.  
  
"I missed you, too," he replied, pulling her back and bit and resting his forehead on hers.  They both looked in each others eyes, a trait quite frequently expressed by the both of them, and Misty smiled.  

~*~

The two chatted for a while, discussing what Misty had done over the past weekend.  She told him countless stories, and he was content just to see how her face lit up when she stumbled upon a funny part, of the cute, confused look she acquired when she had forgotten what came next.

Both were on the couch, Ash sitting normally, and Misty lying with her head in his lap, looking up at him.  
  
Gazing down upon her face, Ash had a sudden impulse to ask her that plaguing question right here and now.  He fingered the box in his pocket through the material of his pants, palms beginning to sweat.  
  
"Um… Mist?" he choked out.  
  
"Yeah, Ash?"  
  
"Uh… well, I ah…"  
  
_'C'mon, don't give up!  You love her, she loves you, what's the big deal?'_

"Go on…"  
  
"Um…"

_'No!  I can't… what if she says no?  What'll I do then?  Its too big of a risk this early in our relationship, I just can't…'  
  
_Feeling a sudden loss of courage, he supplied meekly "Weren't you supposed to show me some clothes you bought?"  
  
_'Lame, Ketchum.  Real lame.'_

~*~

Misty gazed at herself in the mirror of her and Ash's bathroom, preparing herself for bed.  She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and hugged her housecoat closer around her before leaving the bathroom and entering the hallway.  She padded softly, making almost no noise due to her fluffy slippers, and softly pushed their bedroom door open.  

"Ash?" she called softly.  Despite it just being the both of them in the apartment, she couldn't help but talk quieter upon entering a room late in the evening.  She was met with no answer, but she soon spotted him lying on their bed, facing the opposite way of her.

She quietly walked over to the bed and sat down.  He never stirred.  She pulled the blankets up from her ankles to her waist, and laid back, her head on the soft pillow.  
  
Finally moving, Ash turned around and lay facing her.  He smiled lightly.  
  
"I missed not having you here over the weekend."  
  
Misty smiled as well.  
  
"I missed it, too."  
  
All through their friendship, they had slept within view of one another, whether it be in the same room shared by all three friends (whoever had been accompanying them at that given time), or just looking at each other during their nights spent out under the stars.    
  
Ash scooted over closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.  He kissed her on the cheek softly, before moving to her lips.  Electricity seemed to shoot through Misty's body, just as it always did when he touched her.  She smiled into the soft kiss before pulling away.    
  
Her mind reverted back to what had her so excited on the way home.    
  
"Ash, I've got something to tell you," she announced quietly.    
  
He kissed her jaw line softly.  "I'm listening," he reassured, upon seeing a weary glance she'd given him through the corner of her eye.  Not truly believing him, Misty continued anyway.  
  
"Well, when I was out this weekend… I, uh… I…"  
  
Ash's kisses were becoming more and more distracting by the minute, and she soon found that his lips had found their way to her neck.  
  
Needless to say, nothing more was said that night.  
  
~*~

Misty awoke the next morning to the feeling of a soft pair of lips on her bare shoulder.  She opened her aqua eyes and was met with an opposing pair of chocolate ones.    
  
"G'morning, beautiful," he murmured, shifting his position lightly.  She was just about so say something to him as well when a loud grumble could be heard from beside her.  Ash sweatdropped sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.    
  
"I guess I'm a little hungry…"  
  
She rolled her eyes and hopped out of bed, thrusting her housecoat over her shoulders.  Buttoning up the very last, top button, she responded "Little would be an understatement."  
  
He grinned and got out of bed, as well, following her into the hallway and into the kitchen.    
  
She was just about to grab the pancake mix from the cupboard when the phone rang.  She leaned to her left just enough to reach the phone and sandwiched it between her shoulder and head, saying "Hello?"

She popped open the tab on the side of the cardboard box and poured the mixture into a large bowl which she retrieved from a different cupboard a few seconds before.  
  
"Okay.  Sure.  No, its alright, really.  No problem.  Yeah, I know.  No, no, its really okay.  You don't have to thank me.  Yes, you can always repay the favour.  Alright then, bye!"  With that, Misty was already finished adding all of the ingredients and had poured the mixture into the frying pan before she hung up the phone.  
  
"Who was that?" questioned Ash, puzzled by her odd phone conversation.    
  
Misty reached for a spatula before replying "It was Sue.  She can't make it in today, one of her kids are sick, so she asked me to fill in.  I have to be at work by 9."  
  
Ash glanced up at the clock, which read 8:15.  He sighed, hoping to spend a little more time with her than this when she just got back.  "Eat fast," he replied, but she was too busy hopping madly around the kitchen, trying to get the meager breakfast ready as quick as humanly possible.     
  
~*~

It was around six thirty in the afternoon; the sun was just getting ready to go down.  A transport truck whizzed by on a small two-way highway, heading for the nearest town.  The driver patted the dashboard to his right, eyes still on the road, looking for something.  His hand came in contact with a circular, warm object wrapped in tin foil and he smiled.  Using his kneecaps to move the steering wheel, he unwrapped the object using both hands, revealing it as a juicy fast food hamburger.  He licked his lips in hunger and took a bite out of it.    
  
Unfortunately for him, they seemed to put a little too many hot peppers on it, and by this point in time, he was really thirsty.  He reached back behind his seat with one arm, hunting around for a can of coke.  He lifted up garbage, things like used napkins, ketchup packets, and crumpled dixie cups, but no can was to be found.  He cursed his luck and, momentarily, whirled back around.  The gleaming of the can caught his eye instantly, and he quickly turned back around.  
  
What he was met with was not a pretty sight.  
  
"Oh SHIT!!"  
  
~*~

Ash paced nervously back and forth on the living room carpet of his apartment.  The soft blue fabric was wearing down by the second, the constant repetition of his feet weighing down in the same spots.  Only one thought raced through the twenty-year old's mind-

_'Where the hell is she?'_

It was around eight o'clock, and by rights, Misty should have been home over an hour and a half ago.    
  
_'Maybe she's just working late,' _he told himself, _'or maybe traffic's bad tonight.'_

Trying not to worry himself any longer about it, he sat down on the couch and turned on the television.  Upon hitting a local news channel, he ceased his channel surfing to witness a report.  
  
"The time is unknown, but earlier this evening, a transport truck carrying lawn chairs to a nearby department store in the nearby city collided with a small sports car.  Details are not available, but we do know that highway 302 has been closed off and probably will be for quite some time.  In other news, recent Pokemon studies have declared that one tenth of all Sandshrew…"  
  
Ash flipped the channel, turning to a movie.    
  
_'Another accident.  Msn, they need to do something about that highway.'_

~*~

Ash opened his eyes wearily, lifting his head up.  He rubbed the back of his neck, noticing that there was a bad cramp in it.  He looked at his surroundings and found himself sitting in a chair at the kitchen table.  Sunlight streamed in through the windows, causing him to squint his eyes.  
  
"What the hell am I doing sleeping at the kitchen table…"  
  
The thoughts of last night reoccurred in his mind, and he only said one word.  
  
"Misty."  
  
He searched through the rooms, all of the rooms, in the apartment, but couldn't find her anywhere.    

"Misty??  Where the hell are you?"  He grumbled, practically flinging doors off the hinges.    
  
He found himself back in the kitchen, swiping the bangs off his forehead and wracking his brain for an answer.  
  
He looked at the list of phone numbers above the phone in the kitchen.  An idea forming in his head, he picked up the receiver and dialed the first number on the list.  
  
"Hello?" he gushed out breathlessly.  "Is Misty there?"  
  
"No… why would she be?" the person replied.  Ash hardly had a clue who he was talking to, it was just the first number on the list.  
  
Cutting that conversation as short as possible, Ash tried the next number.  And the next.  All were met with similar responses.  
  
Eventually, he found himself at the bottom of the list, still without a definite answer of her whereabouts.  

He flopped into the same chair he had spent the previous night in and folded his arms, laying his head in them.  He sighed heavily, wishing that this was all a dream and that he would wake up and second with his arms around his beloved angel.  Its too bad wishes don't come true.

A heavy rapping could be heard at the door, and Ash practically flew the short distance to the doorway.  
  
Flinging it open with an amount of strength he himself didn't know he possessed, he was greeted with two med, police officers, it looked like.  
  
"Is this the residence of Misty Waterflower?" one asked.  
  
"Yes.  Oh please god, tell me you know where she is," Ash replied desperately, clutching the doorframe.  He didn't even notice how white his knuckles were turning.  
  
"As a matter of fact, that's what we're here for."  
  
~*~  
  
A few hours later, Ash sat on his couch, cradled in his mother's protective arms.  He was weeping profoundly, and he didn't even care that Brock, Tracey, Prof. Oak, and Gary were there to witness it.  All he cared about was the angel in his life he'd just found out he'd lost.  
  
It was horrible.  The police officers came in and sat him down, then told him that his girlfriend, almost fiancée-to-be, died in a car crash.  And to make matters worse, he said it in that tone of voice that'd you'd use to state the weather.  
  
Ash was in shock for a countless amount of time.  His brain just couldn't process the fact that Misty was now gone.  That he'd never see her smiling face again.  That he'd never hear her light laugh from this day forward.    
  
At about that time, his mother and friends had arrived after hearing the news to share the grief and give their condolences.  Which brings us to the current scenario.  
  
Brock, Tracey, and Prof. Oak were all standing close to the couch, feeling bad for Ash's loss, as well as their own.  Brock and Tracey had tears on their cheeks, feeling the severe loss of not having their ranting, firey companion here with them.  
  
Upon receiving his mothers arms when she arrived, Ash could do nothing but embrace them and let all of his troubles loose.  Deliah rocked him and tried to comfort him as best she could; although she was sure that the stifled sobs and tears of her own weren't helping matters.  She'd always thought of the young redhead as the daughter she never had, and was glad there was someone there to keep Ash's ego in check.  Now, all she wished was that Misty was here to make Ash happy again.  
  
Ash lifted his head up from his mother's embrace and sat up on the couch, wiping one of the countless tears from his eyes.    
  
"It's not fair," he choked out.  
  
Deliah looked on sympathetically at her son.  "I know, honey, I-"  
  
"No you don't!" he snapped, standing up from the couch.  "You don't know!"  
  
His outburst shocked everyone in the room.  Even Gary, who had tried to distance himself from the whole ordeal, felt inclined to enter the group, in hopes to try and calm his rival down a bit.  
  
"You don't know anything…"  He placed his head in his hands.  Deliah, figuring Ash was finished, was about to speak again, but found that he had only just begun.  
  
"I'm so stupid…" he said to himself.  "I am such a goddamn idiot!"  
  
Before anyone had a chance to contradict his words, Ash thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out the small velvet box, throwing it violently across the room.  The case cracked open against the wall, and the gorgeous ring rolled out into the middle of the carpeted floor, giving all of the apartments occupants a fair glance.    
  
"Why the hell couldn't I have asked her?  I had the prefect chance, but no, I had to chicken out!  Now its too late!  Now I can't do frig-all about it!"  He continued ranting, tears continuingly streaming down his cheeks, glaring at the beautiful, shimmering ring.  Everyone looked on at Ash with worry.  None of them knew of his plan to propose to Misty, and now realized why he cursed himself so.  Well, almost all of them realized it.  
  
"ASH KETCHUM!" Deliah bellowed, striding over to her son.  She grabbed his shoulders and began ranting, anger evident in her eyes.  "None of this is your fault!!  Not anything!!  You can't beat yourself up this much about it!  What would Misty say if she heard you cussing yourself out like this?  Do you honestly think she'd be happy…?"  What had started out as anger now turned to sadness as she related the subject back to Misty.  Ash lowered his head and left the room.  He didn't say anything, just left.  The only evidence that he had actually gotten to his room was that of the slamming door.  
  
Ash laid down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, allowing the tears adorning his face a chance to dry.  Misty scent wafted up to his nose, and he smiled sadly.  Her image appeared in his head.  
  
Those gorgeous aqua eyes that could tell a billion stories with just one glance, and held just as many emotions.  Now those eyes would be dead and lifeless.  Her hair, which had always been that lustrous red-orange colour.  Now, what would it be?  It'd be flat and dull, much like the way his life was going right now.  
  
He couldn't believe it.  Just last night, he was spending one of the most magnificent nights of his life with her, and now, the next time he would see her, she'd be in a casket, ready to lower herself into the ground below, never to be seen again.  
  
The phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.  Even though he was in no mood whatsoever to talk to anyone, he had a sudden impulse to answer it.  
  
"H-Hello?" he answered, his voice cracking slightly due to the hysterics he'd just endured.  
  
"Yes, may I ask if Ms. Misty Waterflower is there?"    
  
At the mere mention of her name, Ash almost started bawling again, but managed to squeeze out "No, c-can I take a message?"  
  
"Why, yes of course."  The woman's voice on the other end seemed so bright and cheerful, and Ash almost hated her right then and there for being happy at the mention of his recently departed girlfriend, even though she had no idea what he was going through.  
  
"Just tell her that she's due for an ultrasound in two weeks.  The doctor says that she'll be able to determine the sex of the baby by this time, and that it seems that the baby is currently very healthy."  
  
There was a clunk as Ash dropped the phone onto the floor below.  The key words flew through his mind, so fast that he could barely recognize them.    
  
_Ultrasound.  Baby.  Healthy.  Ultrasound…_

He stared blankly at the mirror in front of him.  Through it, he could see tears cascading from his eyes once more.    
  
"She…"  
  
He couldn't even feel anything anymore.  His body was doing these things without instruction, he himself was just floating, motionless, in his own melancholy world.  
  
"She was…"  
  
The image of his beloved wafted into his mind once more, but this time, the image of her had a bloated midsection.  Her smile was still present, and he could hear her voice in his head.  _'Ash… I've got something to tell you…'_

"… pregnant…"  
  
~*~  
  
It was a week later.  Ash endured his days robotically, talking only when provoked and doing the daily routine lifelessly.  It was like his life was taken just as much as Misty's that fateful night exactly one week ago to date.  Now, all of Misty's family, friends, and just anyone who was ever influenced to do something good by her smile or kind words.  She had inspired many people in her lifetime, and each were sure to come and pay their last respects to her.  
  
Ash stayed near the back of the funeral parlour for the whole time.  Whenever someone would try to offer sympathy, he would turn his head.  He didn't feel like socializing anymore.  
  
Time passed, and soon, people were leaving.  Tears glistened in their eyes as they exited, holding tissues up to their faces and choking back sobs upon facing the bright sunlight outside.

Ash didn't even move until the last person, his very own mother, was out of the room.  Then, as slowly as ever, he made his way up to the elaborately decorated coffin.  He could feel the tears already stinging his eyes, but he kept going, knowing he had a mission to fulfill.

He looked down at her and sucked in a breath.  Her arms were crossed peacefully over her chest, and her hair was let down, falling lightly over her shoulders.  Her eyes were closed, and anyone else besides himself would think she was sleeping.  But Ash knew different.  Every night, before he went to sleep, he would look at her.  And every time he did, she would have a smile on her lips while sleeping.  This, however, was not a smile.  Just a perfectly straight face.  
  
"Mist…" he began, touching one of her folded hands.  He mentally flinched upon the coldness he was met with, but kept his hand where it was.  

"I have so many things to tell you, and I don't care if you can't hear me.  I just… I miss you."  
  
He rubbed his thumb over her cool, but still soft hand, and marveled at how beautiful she still looked to him, even after enduring a horrendous car crash with a truck.  
  
_Well, Mr. Ash Ketchum, _he was sure she would reply.  _Your view is a little biased considering you call me beautiful when I wake up in the morning._

"I… I found out that you're pregnant.  I just wish… that you would have told me."  
  
He choked back a sob as he moved his hand to rest on her stomach.  "Our baby would have been beautiful."  
  
He saw a lone tear fall from his cheek and land on hers, making it look as if she was crying with him.  He gave up on holding back his sobs as he continued, spilling out his heart and soul to the only person he would every love with his full heart.  
  
"I've got something else to tell you," he said in between sobs.  "I was trying to tell you before, but I was a coward.  Fearing your answer."  
  
"Misty, I love you with all my heart, and that'll never change.  I keep telling myself that its stupid to be telling you all of this now, but I just have to say it."  More tears found themselves embedded on her cheek.  "You're so special to me, I don't know how I'm going to survive, but I swear on the life of me that I'll find a way, for your sake.  My life with you has been great, beyond great.  Its been wonderful.  You livened up everything I did, gave meaning to all of my victories.  You were there with me when I lost Pikachu… but you're not here now.  Your whole life, you've just been on the sidelines, helping me in every way possible and not even taking any credit for it.  But believe me, Mist.  I've always admired you, at the way you could keep on going no matter what the odds were.  You always found a way to get what you wanted, especially from me."

Noticing that he was rambling, he got to the point.  "I just want you to know that I love you so much.  That I'd wanted to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.  That I wanted to grow old with you.  That I wanted to see you every morning when I woke up.  That I wanted you to be the last thing I ever saw before I closed my eyes that one last time.  Misty Waterflower, you've made me the happiest man on the planet just by being by my side and loving you.  And for that, I think you with all my heart."  
  
He gently inserted his hand into his pocket and took out that same velvet box.  He opened it up, and that very same beautiful ring greeted him.  He took it out of the case with so much care, and put the case back in his pocket.  He gazed down at Misty lovingly, his vision blurred.  He leaned closer to the casket and lifted her stiff hand from its position.  He slid the ring onto her left ring finger and put her hand back into place.  He lowered his head down to hers and placed his lips on hers one last time.  
  
He ignored the fact that she wasn't alive and couldn't kiss back.  He ignored the fact that her lips were abnormally cold.  And he ignored the fact that the last kiss he'd ever give her would be like this.  All he cared about was that the love he held for her would somehow be communicated with her in some way through this kiss.  He pulled back and whispered, "I love you, Misty Waterflower."

He walked back out of the parlour, not looking back once.  Upon exiting, he noticed that the sun was shining brightly, and he was grateful for it.  He put his hands in his pockets and drew in a shaky breath.  This was it.  No matter how hard it seemed, and no matter how much he thought his life was over, he'd go on.  For her.  And he'd await the day when they'd be reunited once again, in heaven.

(I'd advise actually having "I'll Be Missing You" playing now)

_On that morning_

_When my life is over  
I know,  
I'll see your face…_

_Every step I take  
Every move I make_

_Every single day_

_Every time I pray_

_I'll be missing you_

_Thinking of the day_

_That you went away_

_What a life to take  
What a bond to break  
I'll be missing you  
_  
  


~*~

~Owari~  
  
  
  
  
So, how did you like it?  This was my first attempt in the Romance/Angst section, so I hope it was somewhat desirable to read.  Comments greatly appreciated!  
  


~Violet Emeralds~   
  



End file.
